In final State of the State speech, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy touts minimum wage, job creation and property tax relief

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After eight years in office, outgoing New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy delivered his final State of the State address in Trenton on Tuesday. The central theme of the governor’s speech was “stronger and fairer,” a policy he said was his North Star guiding his entire tenure.

After expressing thanks and gratitude to Garden State voters for entrusting him with what he called the “sacred responsibility” of serving as governor for two terms, Murphy recounted how, when he was growing up, his own family struggled to stay afloat financially. He said that experience shaped his belief that “we only win when we all win.”

The governor said, in 1957, then-Sen. John F. Kennedy delivered an inspiring speech, telling the audience, “Let us not despair but act. Let us not seek the Republican answer or the Democratic answer but the right answer. Let us not seek to fix the blame for the past, let us accept our own responsibility for the future.”

Murphy said that sentiment is at the heart of who he is. “Because it is not good enough to believe in a brighter future, you also have to step up and build that future,” he said.

He also confided that, even as an older adult, “in my heart of hearts, I am, more than anything, that kid with a goofy grin who grew up in a family that was middle class on a good day.”

The governor reviewed the key economic achievements of his administration, including passing legislation that nearly doubled the minimum wage over the past eight years, increasing property tax relief through the ANCHOR program and fully funding the state’s pension system for five years in a row. He also touted the state’s increased funding for K-12 schools, mass transit and women’s health care, as well as securing nine consecutive credit rating upgrades for the Garden State.

Murphy also noted that New Jersey now has a rainy-day surplus fund of close to $7 billion, more than 15 times higher than when he first became governor eight years ago.

He said the state’s new millionaire’s tax was a success, because “we have more millionaires today in New Jersey than ever before.”

Murphy also noted that, under his leadership, New Jersey’s prison population has dropped to its lowest levels in decades, while homicides and shootings have also dropped to record-low levels.

He said these benchmarks were achieved because his administration upheld what he described as “Jersey values,” focused on the needs of working people, and governed “by the principle of ‘and, not or.’”

The governor also reviewed the challenges of COVID-19, a pandemic that claimed more than 35,000 lives in New Jersey. He said the state “followed the science,” and he expressed gratitude to the EMTs, nurses, doctors, police officers and firefighters, and everyone who worked to save lives during the crisis.

He also thanked former New Jersey Health Department Commissioner Judy Persichilli and retired New Jersey State Police Superintendent Pat Callahan.

Murphy then reviewed steps taken in the Garden State to “set the national standard for protecting the integrity of our democratic process.” He said this included expanding early in-person voting, restoring voting rights to more than 80,000 people on probation or parole, and establishing automatic voter registration.

He said when the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade, “we took action and codified the right to abortion. And in the years since then, at a time when extremist politicians have put a target on the backs of women, we have firmly established New Jersey as a safe haven for reproductive freedom.”

Murphy said he’s been committed to maintaining a balanced judiciary, “because it is the best way to restore public confidence in the rule of law.”

The governor said, at a time when President Donald Trump has tried to attack New Jersey communities and families, the state has fought back, successfully challenging the administration in court.

He said the fundamental rights of citizens are not up for debate. “To all of our immigrant families, allow me to say the following: I can only imagine how harrowing the past year has been. But rest assured: New Jersey is your home. We have always supported you. And we always will,” the governor said.

Murphy then thanked members of his staff and former Cabinet members and praised his former Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver, who died unexpectedly two-and-a-half years ago. He also saluted his wife.

“Let’s hear it for the fighting first lady, and the gal of my dreams, Tammy Snyder Murphy. When I was elected, I promised that Tam and I would be a team. And true to that promise, she has been the inspiration behind some of our greatest accomplishments,” he said.

Murphy said, during his administration, New Jersey has revived its reputation as a global home of research and development, launching 12 strategic innovation centers. He said New Jersey has a rising television production industry in Fort Monmouth, where Netflix has broken ground on a state-of-the-art, 500,000-square-foot production facility that will create thousands of new jobs. He also said the Garden State is a leader in artificial intelligence, with the creation of AI hubs in different parts of the state.

He told lawmakers that moving forward, “fiscal responsibility is not an option — it is an obligation. The need to spend within our means, while also paying our long overdue bills, has never been more urgent.”

“Remember to invest in the priorities that make New Jersey great: public education, health care, mass transit, our innovation economy,” he said.

He added that the Garden State is in good hands because “we have a superhero waiting in the wings — our great governor-elect, and the pride of Montclair, Mikie Sherrill — along with her right-hand man, the outstanding lieutenant governor-elect, Dale Caldwell.” Murphy didn’t offer the incoming governor any advice but said, “Mikie and Dale are going to be amazing.”

Murphy said, in the coming year, New Jersey pride will be on full display, with the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

“It is, more than anything, an epic opportunity to show the world that New Jersey is the destination for dreamers and changemakers from across the globe. And that is a reputation we wear as a badge of honor,” the governor said.

He ended the speech with a message to all New Jersey residents: “You are writing the future of the American story. And if anyone ever tells you otherwise, well, you stand up straight, you get in their face and you tell ’em: We’re from Jersey, baby!”

Republicans: ‘It’s been a long eight years’

Senate Republican Leader Anthony M. Bucco set the stage for his party’s response to Murphy’s speech with a quip about the governor’s speaking time.

“It was a long one. And it’s been a long eight years,” he said.

Republican leaders said that the governor is a nice guy overall, but Murphy’s legacy will show that he has been out of touch with everyday New Jerseyans.

Bucco said the governor “tried really hard” and that there were things, like making the full payment into the pension system, that were good for the state. But he said the state is “teetering on the edge,” and he is concerned about New Jersey’s future.

“When it comes to being stronger and fairer, you have to ask that question: ‘For who?’ Who is it more stronger and fairer for today than it was eight years ago?” Bucco said.

Republicans say Murphy will be remembered for increasing the state budget over eight years, allowing higher taxes and fees on his watch, and lacking transparency in the budget process.

Assembly Republican Leader John DiMaio added that Murphy had “despotic pandemic policies” that caused thousands of deaths in adult care facilities, “which could have been avoided if they used a little common sense and put those folks into a place to cordon them off before they sent them back to the nursing home.”

They also said Murphy’s energy policy “simply failed,” and Republicans are expecting the state to experience brownouts.

The outgoing administration’s energy policies were “absolutely unsustainable and insane,” said Senate Republican Whip Michael Testa.

“People were calling our legislative offices in record numbers and emailing us in record numbers this past summer when energy bills went up. Why? Because they’re very frustrated,” Testa said.

Republican leaders said they are hopeful to have more of a say in the budget process when Sherrill takes office. They’re calling her first budget “the real hurdle for her.”

“That’s where the rubber is going to meet the road,” Bucco said, adding that they all want Sherrill to succeed.

“If she succeeds, New Jersey succeeds,” he said. “But there is a lot of work to do here.”